Related Summaries

Two new reports show emergency department staff often are MRSA carriers, which could put patients at risk of infection. In one study, nasal swabs from 105 ED staff showed 15% were positive for MRSA, including 12 nurses. A second study that included 255 workers found about 32% were positive for Staphylococcus aureus and 4.3% were positive for MRSA.

Incentives to quit smoking and exercise more, employer wellness programs, and more competition among insurers are some ways to improve the health care system, North Carolina nurses said at one of the house parties proposed by the incoming Obama administration to encourage discussion on health care reform. "I hope that we can agree to say that our system is broken and that we need radical surgery," said Nancy Hudson, the director of a free clinic in Charlotte, N.C.

Kathleen Kuck's passion has always been nursing, so as CEO at Pocono Medical Center she still focuses on patients. Her years in the emergency department have led to improvements in the center's trauma care so patients are seen more quickly. Kuck makes rounds on patient floors and talks to people in waiting rooms, saying it "keeps me rooted to the patient service."